#728Sunday, March 1, 2026
Strands answers for March 1, 2026 — “Dressing down” (#728)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for March 1, 2026 (puzzle #728) is THERIOTACT, a 10-letter answer to the theme "Dressing down". The 5 theme words are ADMONISH, CASTIGATE, REPRIMAND, SCOLD and UPBRAID.
Where is each answer on the March 1 Strands board?
Here are all 5 theme words from the March 1, 2026 Strands puzzle, with the spangram last.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 6 answers. Every position comes from solving the grid outright — the answers have to tile all 48 letters with no overlap and no remainder, which is what makes a single arrangement provable.
| Answer | Letters | Starts | Ends | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADMONISH | 8 | row 6, column 6 | row 8, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| CASTIGATE | 9 | row 1, column 2 | row 5, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| REPRIMAND | 9 | row 2, column 5 | row 5, column 5 | top to bottom |
| SCOLD | 5 | row 5, column 3 | row 2, column 2 | bottom to top |
| UPBRAID | 7 | row 7, column 2 | row 4, column 1 | bottom to top |
| THERIOTACT | 10 | row 1, column 1 | row 8, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the March 1 Strands grid look like?
Every letter below appears in exactly one answer — the 6 words tile all 48 cells of the March 1, 2026 grid.
Spangram — 10 letters5 theme words
Each line traces one answer through the letters it uses; the heavier yellow line is the spangram.
Read across the grid, row 1 reads T-C-A-S-T-I, row 2 reads H-D-L-E-R-G, row 3 reads E-R-O-P-R-A, row 4 reads D-I-C-M-I-T, row 5 reads I-O-S-A-D-E, row 6 reads A-T-A-N-I-A, row 7 reads R-U-C-S-N-D, and row 8 reads B-P-T-H-O-M.
How hard was the March 1 Strands puzzle?
Measured against the full archive, the March 1, 2026 puzzle lands in the easy range — above 10% of all Strands puzzles.
Easiest puzzle ever published on the left, hardest on the right. The formula behind the score, and the ranked list of every puzzle, are on the Strands difficulty index.
Who made the March 1 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #728 was edited by Tracy Bennett, who also constructed it. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the March 1 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on March 1, 2026?
The Strands clue for March 1, 2026 is “Dressing down”, on puzzle #728. It is answered by the spangram THERIOTACT, and all 5 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on March 1, 2026?
The 5 Strands theme words for March 1, 2026 are ADMONISH, CASTIGATE, REPRIMAND, SCOLD and UPBRAID, plus the spangram THERIOTACT.
What was the big word in the March 1, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for March 1, 2026 is THERIOTACT, 10 letters long, running from row 1, column 1 to row 8, column 3. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Dressing down” mean?
The Strands theme “Dressing down” for March 1, 2026 means THERIOTACT — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 5 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands March 1, 2026?
Strands puzzle #728 has 5 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the March 1, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #728 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 10% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on March 1, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Sunday, March 1, 2026 is #728, counting from the game's launch on March 4, 2024.
Today’s puzzle and its hint ladder are on the front page. This puzzle sits in March 2026, part of the full Strands archive.